ABC News uses iCloud to track a stolen iPad to TSA officer's home

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As someone who does this exact job (in a different country) I don't understand how anyone thinks they can get away with this. With the 100 plus cameras watching you at all times the TSA can see you at all times from all angles and you as an employee know they are there.

9 times out of 10 its other passengers who steal and in my airports case most of the time they get caught. There are a few times that i know of where other employees have tried to take stuff the have been caught, fired and a few times criminally charged like they should be.

these are the same people who can't understand why the public hates us

Yes, well, perhaps your agency in your country isn't a useless bunch of morons hired as extras in security theater. The TSA is the one federal agency that could be shut down tomorrow and it wouldn't make a bit of difference to anything, particularly airport security.

Clearly the TSA is so corrupt that they are all just looking the other way as their coworkers steal everything they can lay their hands on.

Yes, well, perhaps your agency in your country isn't a useless bunch of morons hired as extras in security theater. The TSA is the one federal agency that could be shut down tomorrow and it wouldn't make a bit of difference to anything, particularly airport security.

Clearly the TSA is so corrupt that they are all just looking the other way as their coworkers steal everything they can lay their hands on.

That is, of course, nonsense.

TSA is not perfect, but most of them are decent, honest employees.

They have some management issues, but that isn't the employees' fault. Their biggest problem is that their objectives are unrealistic. They are expected to ensure that no terrorist event ever occurs on an airplane again and there's no downside to being overly cautious. They are therefore always going to err on the side of excluding things and people - the system is set up that way. There's no reward for getting people through security faster, but you can be sure as shooting that there'd be hell to pay if there was another terrorist incident. Under that scenario, I'd enforce every rule to the letter, as well.

Yes, well, perhaps your agency in your country isn't a useless bunch of morons hired as extras in security theater. The TSA is the one federal agency that could be shut down tomorrow and it wouldn't make a bit of difference to anything, particularly airport security.

Clearly the TSA is so corrupt that they are all just looking the other way as their coworkers steal everything they can lay their hands on.

Although we'll have to agree to disagree that "it wouldn't make a bit of difference to anything". The TSA is yes known to be one the worst of all the agencies around the world, it's less to do with the people but rather the structure of the agency.

It's one of the few countries where you are actually a federal employee and management and you work for the same people so it's in everyones best interested "cover each others ass". most likely that's why the TSA had no clue where the iPad went. The countries who contract the work out have done a much better job at providing security while not being as corrupt as this.

Although we'll have to agree to disagree that "it wouldn't make a bit of difference to anything". The TSA is yes known to be one the worst of all the agencies around the world, it's less to do with the people but rather the structure of the agency.

It's one of the few countries where you are actually a federal employee and management and you work for the same people so it's in everyones best interested "cover each others ass". most likely that's why the TSA had no clue where the iPad went. The countries who contract the work out have done a much better job at providing security while not being as corrupt as this.

In many airports, the employees are not actually TSA employees. The services are contracted out and these employees are very poorly paid - somewhere between minimum wage and about $10 an hour. Who do we think we're getting for those kinds of wages? However, there should be a TSA supervisor at every single security position keeping an eye on the employees and every employee caught stealing should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. The airlines themselves should be pushing to get better people employed because people are avoiding flying because of the security hassles. It's not that you have to go through security. It's that the rules are applied inconsistently, it's generally inefficient and everyone knows the entire things is a charade anyway. In the Northeast corridor on the Washington-New York-Boston run, people are taking Amtrak instead of taking the air shuttles (which are actually no longer shuttles anyway).

I guess I'm having a hard time understanding why it's sad. If I caught an employee stealing customers' goods, I'd fire him on the spot, too.

Well, stealing is wrong but this device was left behind on purpose to entrap the guy. Moreover, it's just one more family that may end up in financial trouble leading to a broken home. While it's possible that this guy had stolen before, it's also possible that this was his first time.

The guy got what he deserved. Having said that, I wonder what financial challenges he might have as well as pressures to give his children the things they want/need in order to keep up with their classmates.

What he did (an probably had done in the past) was wrong and the punishment justified. I feel saddened by the challenges his family will now face now that he has no income.

Good old liberal hiring practices. Every single time I have been robbed at a hotel, it was by one of the employees. How do I know? a) They have the keys to my room. b) I once got the manager of a hotel to ADMIT her employee had stolen the mobile phone belonging to one of my staff. I gave her 30 minutes to put it back in our room no questions asked, else I would call the police.

We waited 30 minutes outside, and then returned to the room, where the phone had been duly returned.

Everywhere you go world-wide where politically correct hiring practises are in place, you get crime. Everywhere.

Good old liberal hiring practices. Every single time I have been robbed at a hotel, it was by one of the employees. How do I know? a) They have the keys to my room. b) I once got the manager of a hotel to ADMIT her employee had stolen the mobile phone belonging to one of my staff. I gave her 30 minutes to put it back in our room no questions asked, else I would call the police.
We waited 30 minutes outside, and then returned to the room, where the phone had been duly returned.
Everywhere you go world-wide where politically correct hiring practises are in place, you get crime. Everywhere.
About time people are hired on merit. Period.

I doubt the salaries for people that clean your rooms are high enough to attract people of 'merit'. Sad but true. Having said that I have travelled all over the World on business (and like you had multiple rooms for my staff at times) for decades and never lost a thing. That said it was prior to Apple gadgets being what they are today. Apple seems to have created a desire that exceeds free drugs. I just read, something like 14% of all crime in NYC is Apple related. Pretty amazing really.

The TSA is another matter though, somewhat higher level of expectation than a hotel room when it comes to trust and honesty. This man should be held to a far higher standard and made an example of as a warning to other TSA staff.